{"id":7759,"date":"2021-08-31T15:42:01","date_gmt":"2021-08-31T03:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.myfoodbag.co.nz\/?p=7759"},"modified":"2023-08-09T12:44:36","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T00:44:36","slug":"the-goodness-of-whole-grains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/2021\/08\/31\/the-goodness-of-whole-grains\/","title":{"rendered":"The Goodness of Whole Grains: 5 Ways to Eat More"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>With the popularity of low-carb diets, you may be more confused than ever. Can whole grains still be eaten as part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/2021\/06\/10\/heart-healthy-range\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heart-healthy<\/a> diet? The short answer is \u2018yes\u2019 and we\u2019ve made it easy to help you choose the best grains.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-1176979263-1-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"whole grains\" class=\"wp-image-7766\" title=\"\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-1176979263-1-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-1176979263-1-300x200.jpeg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-1176979263-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-1176979263-1-1536x1025.jpeg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-1176979263-1-2048x1366.jpeg 2048w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-1176979263-1-1080x720.jpeg 1080w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-1176979263-1-1280x854.jpeg 1280w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-1176979263-1-980x654.jpeg 980w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-1176979263-1-480x320.jpeg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why are whole grains good for your heart?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.nz\/resources\/whole-grains-and-the-heart-evidence-paper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Heart Foundation research<\/a>&nbsp;on whole grains has shown that eating whole grain foods can reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 30%<sup>1,2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When whole grains are eaten as part of a heart-healthy diet, they can help to reduce your cholesterol, blood pressure and help manage your weight too<sup>1<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When selecting grain foods, it\u2019s the quality of the carbohydrate that is most important. Refined grains (like white bread, pasta, and crackers) contain fewer nutrients and less fibre. Unrefined whole grains (like brown rice, quinoa and oats) contain a wide range of nutrients including fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which are good for our hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to eat more whole grains<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Eating whole grains in place of refined grains doesn\u2019t have to be hard work. Here are five tips to help you get the goodness of whole grains into your day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Choose intact whole grains where possible<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Intact whole grains are unrefined and close to how they\u2019re found in nature. They have more nutrients and are less likely to contain added sugar, saturated fat and sodium. Examples include oats, barley, freekeh, farro, bulgur wheat, brown rice, quinoa and buckwheat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Make simple swaps<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Look at ways to make simple swaps from refined grains to intact whole grains and whole grain products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>White rice to brown rice, barley or quinoa.<\/li><li>Couscous to bulgur wheat, farro or freekeh.<\/li><li>White bread, wraps, or pita to whole grain versions.<\/li><li>Water crackers to whole grain crackers.<\/li><li>White flour to whole grain flours such as wholemeal or spelt flour.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Base at least one meal a day around a whole grain<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some ideas to get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Breakfast:<\/strong>&nbsp;porridge, Bircher muesli or toasted whole grain bread.<\/li><li>\u200b<strong>Lunch:&nbsp;<\/strong>bulgur wheat salad, stuffed wholemeal pita bread.<\/li><li><strong>Snacks:<\/strong>&nbsp;whole grain crackers with hummus.<\/li><li><strong>Dinner:<\/strong>&nbsp;stir-fry with brown rice; salads with different grains like brown rice, freekeh, farro or quinoa; add barley to soups, casseroles, or risotto.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Bake up some whole grain goodness<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Fancy a bit of weekend baking? Look for recipes that use whole grain ingredients like oats, buckwheat, millet, bran or wholemeal flour or have a go at using half and half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Cook extra whole grains to save time later<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Most intact whole grains like brown rice, barley, bulgur wheat, quinoa and millet are cooked by placing in water, bringing to the boil and simmering until the liquid is absorbed. Cooking times will vary, so follow the instructions on the back of the packet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cook extra and then freeze half.&nbsp;You can then serve them later as a quick side dish or base for your next meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The bottom line?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Whole grains are not only a nutritious food but add variety to many dishes. It is important to remember, however, that there is no single food that improves our heart health \u2013 it is our overall diet. Whole grains are best eaten in place of refined grains with plenty of vegetables and fruit alongside legumes (such as chickpeas and lentils), nuts, seeds, oily fish and dairy<sup>3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"1\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.nz\/resources\/whole-grains-and-the-heart-evidence-paper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Heart Foundation Whole grains and the Heart Evidence paper, 2018<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/article\/S0140-6736(18)31809-9\/fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reynolds et al (2019) Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfoundation.org.nz\/resources\/dietary-patterns-and-the-heart-evidence-paper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Heart Foundation Dietary patterns and the Heart Evidence paper, 2013<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><em>*Want to eat more heart healthy meals? Check out our My Choice Bag featuring heart healthy recipes to choose each week. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the popularity of low-carb diets, you may be more confused than ever. Can whole grains still be eaten as part of a heart-healthy diet? The short answer is \u2018yes\u2019 and we\u2019ve made it easy to help you choose the best grains.\u00a0 Why are whole grains good for your heart? Heart Foundation research&nbsp;on whole grains [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2353,2361,2363,2368],"tags":[1925,2049,2191,2192],"class_list":["post-7759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-fresh-start","category-lifestyle-wellness-tips","category-nutrition","tag-healthy","tag-healthy-eating","tag-nude-food","tag-whole-grains","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7759"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19061,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7759\/revisions\/19061"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}